Preview: Mira Loma Matadors vs. Pioneer Patriots
After two games on the road, Mira Loma is heading back home. They will take on the Pioneer Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Tuesday, Mira Loma earned a 66-54 win over Dixon.
Mira Loma's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Christian Perez, who scored 12 points along with two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Kenneth Brown, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds.
Pioneer proved they can win big last Wednesday (they won by 25) but on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 66-64 win over Woodland. The win made it back-to-back wins for Pioneer.
Chancey Minshew continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 21 points along with three steals. He hasn't dropped below 15 points for 11 straight games. Caden Wirth was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Mira Loma has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 19-8 record this season. As for Pioneer, their win bumped their record up to 12-13.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Mira Loma hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 62.3 points per game. However, it's not like Pioneer struggles in that department as they've been averaging 55.5 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Mira Loma was able to grind out a solid win over Pioneer in their previous meeting back in January, winning 61-49. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Minshew, who scored 22 points along with seven rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Mira Loma still be able to contain Minshew? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
